Last year, fans voted for which actor they’d like to take on the role, and Heughan came out on top. The rumors keep on swirling, and Heughan finally addressed them in a recent interview with Esquire UK. “I think any actor would never say they’re not interested,” Heughan told Esquire of the role. “Of course, you’d be interested." As of now, he’s sticking to the story that nothing is actually happening yet. “I mean, it is all rumors, and sometimes you think, should I, should we even talk about it? Because you don’t want to jinx it. I’m sure the people, whoever runs [Bond]–you know, Barbara Broccoli and Eon and all that–they must be sick of it; people sort of throwing their hat into the ring. But yeah, he’s a great character, and would certainly be a fascinating character study and place to kick off. But I think in SAS, we have our own authentic note based on real life scenarios, we have our authentic character, so I’d love to explore this one more.” In SAS: Red Notice, Heughan stars as Tom Buckingham, a wealthy scion of British aristocracy, who disappoints his parents by becoming a ministry man, which translates to Special Forces. The film is based on the Andy McNab novel of the same name. McNab, the pseudonym and pen name for a former British special forces operator, sends Buckingham on an adventure where he is trapped in the Channel Tunnel when a bunch of mercenaries takes the train hostage. Buckingham just happens to be aboard en route to Paris with the woman to whom he plans to propose. So, of course, he must almost singlehandedly save the day–and the girl! If that isn’t shades of James Bond, what is? SAS: Red Notice is left open-ended with Buckingham off on a new case at the finale, and whether or not viewers will have the opportunity to see more of his adventures will, of course, depend on the box office. That said, there is more to playing James Bond than just kicking butt. There is his fatal attraction to women, which we have seen Heughan pull off in Outlander, but there are humorous moments as well. And Heughan has proved he has the right stuff for that with his role in the action-comedy The Spy Who Dumped Me, opposite Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon, as the spy. “As soon as I read the script, I laughed out loud,” Heughan told Parade.com at the time. “I don’t think I’m funny at all, so it was quite intimidating. Outlander is this heavy drama in which we stick to the script and there’s very little opportunity to ad-lib. Whereas on day one of the movie, Mila was just making up s**t. It’s so creative and fast-paced. It was a great opportunity trying to keep up with those two girls.” SAS: Red Notice will be available On Demand on March 16. Miss Outlander? Quell your craving with this Jamie Fraser appreciation post.
